Current acrobat reader (well, it was at least a couple of years ago)
licencing forbids it to be distributed alongside other pdf generating
tools like pdftex, which is in big part why it was removed from non-free
back then.

The majority of commercial 3rd party pdf generating tools target Adobe's
key markets. Allowing them to include Acrobat Reader could be interpreted
as some sort of Adobe endorsement as well as giving them an excuse for
sprinkling Adobe logos around in their literature. There is a huge
difference between a product that enables pdf for a class of users that
would be difficult for Adobe to properly support themselves and products
that aim to carve out small chunks of Adobe's key markets.